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Bye-Bye Water Bottles

SeaShark

By SeaShark,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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don't-use-real-name

don't-use-real-name

Posted
Posted

I believe it is NCL's operating policy to not throw trash of any kind overboard and requests its guests to abide as well.

 

What is a problem is all that recycle trash material is now from what I have read and heard is that it is being refused

by countries like China who would turn it into a reusable material. Reason "Tariff Wars" by misguided officials.

Also landfills are being filled at a rapid rate and why put reusable material to further waste.

 

As Forrest Gump would comment "Stupid is what stupid does" - we are making a grave out of the planet in short

order and it may not affect you at this moment but we will be remembered for our folly of burying ourselves in trash !

 

Think of it - there are patches of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean cumulatively larger than the state of Texas.

 

That 16 year girl at a recent global conference put it succinctly "Shame on You" !!!!!

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graphicguy "Live from...." Rare

graphicguy

Posted
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Surprised this hasn’t happened well before now.

 

Just carry an insulated bottle with you and fill it at the water stations throughout the ship.  Cheaper and better for the environment.  Plus, the water filtration system on the ship is probably 5X better than what you can get out of most bottled water.

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Zippeedee

Zippeedee

Posted
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Happy to see they are sourcing spring water in sustainable new packaging. Not everyone wants to drink filtered tap water or likes how it tastes. I would love it if they would add actual water bottle refill stations rather than the "fill a clean glass" at the buffet mess. Most people ignore the rules and that thing is like a petri dish before noon.

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VtMac

VtMac

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39 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

To head the argument that these paper containers have plastic caps off at the pass, consider first:

They are SUGAR CANE based plastic caps.  That means they are biodegradable.

There are also corn syrup based plastic items in circulation, for example plastic picnic plates, and others which are also 100% biodegradable.

We can debate whether we should be using the word "plastic" to define them.  I personally think that except for its application in emergency services and medical use, plastic is one of the most evil things we humans have cursed this earth by having to deal with. 

Incidentally, the next time you get a package that is packed with those peanut shaped lumps of what looks like styrofoam?  Take a handful and hold it under your kitchen faucet.  If it's like most that are now in circulation, they will disappear in your hands because it too is nothing but foamed up corn syrup.

Correct.  I would caution however that some of the old "potato starch" disposable utensils and "plastic" like items ended up having petroleum products still in them and were killing compost piles off or simply would not break down.  The new sugar cane, and the new starch based items are formulated without those petroleum products.  It pays to read up on which is which.  I like the sugar cane as it can handle hot foods like coffee so where I am we moved all purchasing to that type of product.  These bottles are just like the recycled paper containers we use now.  In most cases these products contain upwards of 60% second or third use paper pulp.  I have heard, but not seen, there are straws coming using the same process which hopefully will hold up better than the paper straws I have available to me now.  It's all good stuff and steps, tiny to be sure, but steps in the right direction none the less

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Birdie And Sue

Birdie And Sue

Posted
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2 hours ago, SeaShark said:

We will no longer have to hear complaints that the UBP doesn't include bottled water...

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2019/09/25/norwegian-cruise-line-no-more-single-use-plastic-bottles-2020/2438295001/

 

 

So they won't complain about bottled water now that the bottled water is going to be in a cardboard container instead of a plastic one?

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SeaShark

SeaShark

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Everyone should read more instead of assuming that "feel good" actions are automatically better...

 

"The researchers determined that bioplastics production resulted in greater amounts of pollutants, due to the fertilizers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical processing needed to turn organic material into plastic. The bioplastics also contributed more to ozone depletion than the traditional plastics, and required extensive land use. B-PET, the hybrid plastic, was found to have the highest potential for toxic effects on ecosystems and the most carcinogens, and scored the worst in the life cycle analysis because it combined the negative impacts of both agriculture and chemical processing."

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/are-bioplastics-made-from-plants-better-for-environment-ocean-plastic/#close

 

https://phys.org/news/2017-12-truth-bioplastics.html

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RedwingHockeyFan

RedwingHockeyFan

Posted
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1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

To head the argument that these paper containers have plastic caps off at the pass, consider first:

They are SUGAR CANE based plastic caps.  That means they are biodegradable.

There are also corn syrup based plastic items in circulation, for example plastic picnic plates, and others which are also 100% biodegradable.

We can debate whether we should be using the word "plastic" to define them.  I personally think that except for its application in emergency services and medical use, plastic is one of the most evil things we humans have cursed this earth by having to deal with. 

Incidentally, the next time you get a package that is packed with those peanut shaped lumps of what looks like styrofoam?  Take a handful and hold it under your kitchen faucet.  If it's like most that are now in circulation, they will disappear in your hands because it too is nothing but foamed up corn syrup.

 

Plastic is a very general term used in reference to many materials.  The most common are polyethylene and polypropylene and in their most common forms are not biodegradable.  Polyethylene is used in water bottles because it absorbs almost no water. The corn syrup based plastic you mention is a form of polyethylene bio-plastic made from bioethanol, derived from sugarcane, instead of petrochemicals.

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VtMac

VtMac

Posted
Posted
48 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

Everyone should read more instead of assuming that "feel good" actions are automatically better...

 

"The researchers determined that bioplastics production resulted in greater amounts of pollutants, due to the fertilizers and pesticides used in growing the crops and the chemical processing needed to turn organic material into plastic. The bioplastics also contributed more to ozone depletion than the traditional plastics, and required extensive land use. B-PET, the hybrid plastic, was found to have the highest potential for toxic effects on ecosystems and the most carcinogens, and scored the worst in the life cycle analysis because it combined the negative impacts of both agriculture and chemical processing."

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/are-bioplastics-made-from-plants-better-for-environment-ocean-plastic/#close

 

https://phys.org/news/2017-12-truth-bioplastics.html

Very true.  Same with organic produce etc, there are some needs with organics that don't allow for some accepted practices of farming that hurts the environment around them, unintentional of course.  For instance a wheat farm in Oregon that needs vigin ground to grow organic wheat for flour, they start the farm on a hillside above a river.  The farming that never existed now causes run off and silt.  The silt destroys the ecosystem of the river and the food chain in it, which snowballs.  But hey. it's organic flour right?  It comes down to stewardship and a balance of this vs that.  I for one have never understood the bottling and purchase of soda production run off but it's a fact of life today, but in my mind I can't believe we even have to talk about it.  But others, that struggle with potable water need that bottled water to survive.    I mentioned earlier, in the rush to "go green" the food service industry adopted some compostable utensils that in turn killed compost piles in some case.  There are always unintended consequences.  In some cases bio-plastics have also driven food costs higher as growers can get better pricing from manufacturers rather than traditional food manufacturing.  To your point, make an educated choice not just one based on the latest climate change articles or hype on the news.

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hallux

hallux

Posted
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7 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

This is fantastic news.  Now, getting away from packaged water entirely would be even better, but I'll take what I can get.  😃

NCL seems to be trying by charging what they do for the water (2-3x what some other lines do) but it seems some will pay whatever is asked in order to get a container of a natural resource that is widely available for free on-board...

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Até

Até

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It will definitely save NCL a lot of money not having to separate out the plastic and recycling it.  The paper water bottles may be made with recycled content but they will not be recycled in any way, more than likely they will go through the pulper with the other "allowed" waste and be dumped at sea.  I like Virgin's glass carafes in the cabins better.

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RedwingHockeyFan

RedwingHockeyFan

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The problem isn't with the material being plastic.  The materials that the straws and bottles are made from can easily be recycled to make new ones.  Most water bottles are already made from recycled plastic.  The paper straws are made from recycled paper, they could have just as easily been made from recycled plastic.  The real problem is why this crap keeps ending up in the Water.  Even the new bio-friendly plastic will not be any better if it is dumped in the ocean.  There is a difference between biodegradable and water soluble.  It wouldn't be any good at being a water bottle if it was water soluble.  To be biodegradable it needs to broken down by chemical synthesis, fermentation by microorganisms, and from chemically modified natural products.

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VtMac

VtMac

Posted
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5 minutes ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

The problem isn't with the material being plastic.  The materials that the straws and bottles are made from can easily be recycled to make new ones.  Most water bottles are already made from recycled plastic.  The paper straws are made from recycled paper, they could have just as easily been made from recycled plastic.  The real problem is why this crap keeps ending up in the Water.  Even the new bio-friendly plastic will not be any better if it is dumped in the ocean.  There is a difference between biodegradable and water soluble.  It wouldn't be any good at being a water bottle if it was water soluble.  To be biodegradable it needs to broken down by chemical synthesis, fermentation by microorganisms, and from chemically modified natural products.

Then there is that.  So many sides to this, so well said that I won't even bust on ya for being a Wings fan!

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SeaShark

SeaShark

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Até said:

It will definitely save NCL a lot of money not having to separate out the plastic and recycling it.  The paper water bottles may be made with recycled content but they will not be recycled in any way, more than likely they will go through the pulper with the other "allowed" waste and be dumped at sea.  I like Virgin's glass carafes in the cabins better.

 

Not really as the paper water bottles aren't exactly "paper".

 

Those bottles are 

54% paper

28% plant-based plastic

3% aluminum (there is an aluminum liner layer in the construction)

15% protective plastic film

 

Not something that can just go through the pulper and be dumped in the ocean.

Edited by SeaShark
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Até

Até

Posted
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I can't see NCL making the change unless they plan on sending them through with the other paper.  Picking them out of the waste stream is unlikely, that's what they're trying to get away from with the plastic.  Someone should ask an Engineer at their next M&M what they do with these, I'd be interested to hear.

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